The city centre will tonight be filled with a cacophony of sound and light, as the second annual Spectra light festival begins.
Running from tonight until Sunday, this year’s Spectra festival in Union Terrace Gardens is expected to outshine last year’s festival by having all of the numerous projections and art pieces centralised in one spot, rather than being spread out all across the city.
Last year more than 17,000 people visited the various colourful art pieces projected and shone across the Granite City, but thanks to this year’s extra sponsorship and inclusion of a variety of international artists, the festival’s producers Curated Place are hoping to attract even more visitors.
Some of the art pieces on show include the “Syrinx of Fire” by artist Mark Anderson, which features musical fiery torches that erupt with flame when a note is sounded, and a light-up maze of glowing white cubes.
Aberdeen city councillor Marie Boulton said: “I think because it’s all consolidated into Union Terrace GArdens it’s created a really special atmosphere, it’s a spectacular venue for a spectacular show. There’s something here for everyone.
“Unless you see it, you won’t know if you like it. We’ve got both international artists and local artists involved, we need to experiment to see what captures people’s imaginations, and I’m happy that we’ve got something in Aberdeen that people won’t have seen before.
One of the more unusual pieces on show is “Piano Migrations”, which has footage of geese migrating over Aberdeenshire projected over old pianos.
Bristol-based artist Kathy Hinde, who created the piece, said: “It’s a video of pink-footed geese that I filmed in Montrose Basin projected over these three completely derelict pianos, which I’ve taken apart to give a new lease of life.
“The footage of the birds is projected directly onto the pianos, and wherever the birds fly over a string they each play a little note on the motors, so it’s like they’re playing it themselves.
“The amount of work that’s here is kind of overwhelming, it’s incredible to have all this art jammed in such a cute little park in an urban setting. I’m really impressed by the festival, both for the stuff on show and the sheer scale.”
The free festival will be open from 5.30pm to 9.30pm, finishing on Sunday night.
